€111m in welfare overpayments with one person incorrectly receiving almost €360k 

A Department of Social Protection spokesman said anti-fraud and control measures were in place to find cases of overpayment, recover the money, and pursue prosecution of offenders when it was appropriate.

More than €111m in welfare overpayments were uncovered last year including one case where a person received almost €360,000 they were not entitled to.

The Department of Social Protection said there had been 71,121 cases discovered in 2022 where people had received more money than they should have.

The overpayment total was €111.67m, or about €1,570 per case uncovered.

However, some of the overpayments were hundreds of times higher than the average, with one person receiving €357,999 in jobseekers' allowance that they were not entitled to.

There were at least 10 cases involved sums of greater than €200,000, according to figures released under FOI by the department.

Another person wrongly received €299,989 in jobseekers' allowance, while a similar case involving the same type of payment was valued at €282,881 in overpayment.

Incorrect payments worth €262,207 were made in a one-parent family allowance in one case uncovered by the department last year.

There was also a €229,540 overpayment of illness benefit and a €228,168 overpayment of the non-contributory State pension to which the person had no entitlement.

The department said these large figures generally involved “irregular payments over a number of years” but which had been uncovered during 2022.

Of the €111.6m of overpayments reported last year, about €80.5m — or about 72% — has already been recovered.

An information note said: “Recoveries refer to the amount recovered in that year, but the debt may not necessarily have been raised in that year.” 

Abuse of welfare system

A spokesman for the department said the majority of people in receipt of a payment from it received what they were entitled to. He said: “Nevertheless, the department recognises that abuse of the welfare system is an ongoing reality and must be tackled proactively.” 

The spokesman said anti-fraud and control measures were in place to find cases of overpayment, recover the money, and pursue prosecution of offenders when it was appropriate.

The spokesman added: 

Overpayments can occur where a person provides false or misleading information in their application or through error on the part of either the claimant or the department.

“The value of overpayments when viewed as a percentage of scheme expenditure highlights that the vast majority of people in receipt of a payment from the department receive what they are entitled to.” 

The department also said recovery of overpaid welfare was done without “imposing undue financial hardship” and that personal circumstances would be considered in determining any repayment plan.